The rapping young Priest from Baton Rouge

Meet Fr. Joshua Johnson, Baton Rouge’s youngest priest—and a rapper

January 24, 2015 by Deacon Greg Kandra

Joshua Johnson from The Archdiocese of New Orleans Clarion Herald

Following in the footsteps of Fr. Stan Fortuna?
Details from The Baton Rouge Advocate:

A young Catholic priest who enjoys rap music had a few confessions about his faith and his music: He didn’t like the Catholic Church as a youth, and he doesn’t want to simply be known today as the “Rapping Priest.”
At 27, the Rev. Joshua Johnson, of Christ the King Catholic Church at LSU, is the youngest priest in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Johnson is in his first year as a priest after trying for years to run from his calling to minister in the Catholic Church.
“I was raised Catholic, but I just never liked the Catholic Church growing up. I thought it was boring, and I didn’t understand it,” said Johnson, a native of Baton Rouge who recently garnered a measure of renown on YouTube and social media for his rapping talent. He hosts the hip-hop show “Tell the World” on Catholic radio.
Johnson’s biggest difficulty with the church dealt with the Eucharist.
“I never believed that it was the body and blood of Jesus Christ that the Catholic Church teaches,” he said.
But it was an experience in the Eucharist that changed Johnson’s mind and heart about the church, made him fall in love with Christ and started his journey to the priesthood.
It happened on a summer night before his senior year at Lee High School when he was invited to a retreat in Alexandria.
“That night in adoration, when the bishop exposed Jesus Christ with the Eucharist, all I could say was it was God’s grace that overcame me,” he said. “And looking at the Eucharistic prayer, I knew it was God, that it was Jesus Christ. It was if I fell in love in an instant. I started crying. I was on my knees worshipping God.”
The long ache in his heart was lifted, he said.
“The first thing I heard him say was ‘I love you,’ and it pierced my heart then and it continues to pierce my heart today, because I was living in pretty serious sin, but he told me he loved me.”
That wasn’t all. Johnson said he was told to become a priest. But he wasn’t ready for that step.
So he enrolled in Southern University, he said, “because I didn’t want to be a priest, and I was trying to run away from it.”

Read more.



My take:  I know Fr. Joshua and have admired his work when as a seminarian here in New Orleans, he worked in local Catholic radio and TV.  Even before his ordination to the Priesthood, it was evident that Father would be a blessing for the Church, bringing Christ to people where they are at and bringing many to Christ from his witness.  When Deacon Greg took this post and placed it over on Facebook the comments began to flow from those who identified themselves as Catholics critical of a Priest who would dare rap and "probably" celebrated disrespectful Masses.  Such foolishness from a bunch of uptight "Catholics".  As I said over on Facebook, none of the criticizers know Father or have attended his liturgies and his youth/college ministries.  I can tell you Father celebrates a beautiful liturgy, respects the Mass and the Eucharist, is in love with Jesus and Mary; such a beautiful devotion to Mary and he really truly is bringing Christ to where the Church often will not go and opening doors for many who never before have been invited.  This Priest and his ministry is nothing more than a blessing from God.